The present invention relates to marine accessories, and more particular to a mounting system for marine vessels.
A wide variety of accessories, such as davits, ladders, support racks, stand offs, cooking grills, tables, chairs, seats, bike-racks, down riggers, outriggers, trolling motors, fighting chairs (used for fishing), antennae, and the like, are available for boats and other marine vessels. In order to secure these accessories, they are generally mounted directly to the vessel, such as on a portion of the hull, deck, swim platform, radar arch, floor of the flybridge or on interior surfaces (e.g. walls, floors, and ceilings inside a cabin). In many situations, it is desirable to alternate between various accessories, or simply to install and remove a single accessory as needed. This is particularly true of smaller boats and vessels, where space is limited.
Conventionally, accessories are mounted to the vessel using fasteners, such as screws or bolts, that extend into or through the mounting structure. Although hull and deck constructions vary from vessel to vessel, a hull or deck is often manufactured from a layer of decking material, such as marine plywood, that is covered typically on both sides by fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth. Often, a smooth or non-skid gelcoat is applied over the fiberglass layer. In some locations, the decking material may be eliminated and the deck or wall may include only fiberglass and gelcoat layers.
When screws are used to install accessories, they preferably extend into the decking material. In locations where there is no decking material or when the accessories are relatively light-weight, the screws may extend only into the fiberglass layer. When bolts are used to install the accessories, they typically extend through the hull or deck and are tightened against the undersurface or back surface by conventional nuts. Because of the structural characteristics of a conventional hull or deck, washers or a backing plate are typically used to distribute forces exerted by the mounting bolts and reduce the likelihood of damage to the hull or deck.
These conventional mounting techniques suffer in several respects. Screws typically will not provide the strength and support needed to install larger accessories or small accessories that are subject to larger forces. Screws have a tendency to pull free from the deck or hull under force. Although bolts provide greater strength and support, they do not permit easy installation and removal of accessories. For example, repeated installation and removal of accessories using bolts requires repeated access to the undersurface or back surface of the mounting location so that the nuts as well as any desired backing plates or washers can be installed and removed. Further, when an accessory is removed, both screws and bolts leave open holes extending through the hull or deck. These holes reduce the structural integrity of the hull, are unsightly and may permit water to leak into the hull where it can cause significant damage.
In addition, the thickness of the hull or deck often varies from vessel to vessel and from location to location throughout the same vessel, primarily to accommodate different structural requirements. Also, smaller variations in the thickness of the hull or deck result from variations in the thickness of the fiberglass layer, which are inherent due to the methods in which fiberglass is laid. These variations in the thickness of the mounting structure can further complicate efforts to mount accessories.